TK20

Children’s books

And Tango Makes Three, by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson

Richardson, J., Parnell, P. and Cole, H. (2005). And Tango makes three. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Bridge to Terabithia by Paterson, Katherine.

Paterson, K. (2017). Bridge to Terabithia. New York: Harper.

Captain Underpants (series), by Dav Pilkey

Reasons: offensive language, unsuited for age group, violence

Pilkey, D. (2017). The adventures of Captain Underpants ; Captain Underpants and the perilous plot of Professor Poopypants. New York, NY: Blue Sky Press/Scholastic, Inc.

George written by Alex Gino

Gino, A. (2015). George. New York: Scholastic Press.

Heather Has Two Mommies by Newman, Leslea

Newman, L., & Souza, D. (2000). Heather has two mommies. Los Angeles, CA: Alyson Publications.

Nasreen’s Secret School: A True Story from Afghanistan, by Jeanette Winter

Winter, J. (2013). Nasreens secret school: a true story from Afghanistan. Columbus, O.H.: Zaner-Bloser.

Our Family Tree: An Evolution Story by Peters, Lisa Westberg

Peters, L. W., & Stringer, L. (2003). Our family tree: an evolution story. San Diego: Harcourt.

Where Did I Come From? By Mayle, Peter

Mayle, P., & Robins, A. (n.d.). Where did I come from?: the facts of life without any nonsense and with illustrations. Carol Publishing Group.

Cuban Kids by Ancona, George

Ancona, G. (2000). Cuban kids. New York: Marshall Cavendish.

I Am Jazz, by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings

Herthel, J., Jennings, J. and McNicholas, S. (2014). I am Jazz!. Dial Books.

Young Adult

Bless Me Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya

Reasons: occult/Satanism, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit

Anaya, R. A. (2013). Bless me, Ultima. New York: Grand Central Pub.

Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out, by Susan Kuklin

Kuklin, S. (2014). Beyond magenta: transgender teens speak out. Candlewick Press.

Drama, by Raina Telgemeier

Telgemeier, R. (2012). Drama. New York: Scholastic.

Fifty Shades of Grey, by E. L. James

James, E. (2011). Fifty shades darker. Vintage.

Looking for Alaska, by John Green

Green, J. (2006). Looking for Alaska. Speak.

Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher

Asher, J. (2011). Thirteen reasons why. New York, NY: Razorbill.

The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison

Morrison, T. (2005). Bluest Eye, The. Plume.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon

Haddon, M. (2004). The curious incident of the dog in the night-time. Vintage Contemporaries.

Two Boys Kissing written by David Levithan

Levithan, D. (2013). Two boys kissing. Knopf Books for Young Readers.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Alexie Sherman

Alexie, S., Forney, E. and Hesse, M. (2009). Sherman Alexie, The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian. Stuttgart: Klett Sprachen.

Grade Level and Audience

Elementary School

Plot Summary

In the New York Central Park Zoo chinstrap penguins are pairing up to breed. Roy and Silo begin to do what penguin couples do. From swimming, singing, and building a nest Roy and Silo are inseparable.  Roy and Silo are a couple and wish they had their own egg to hatch. Since Roy and Silo are males they sit on rock hoping it was egg. The zookeeper notices and gives them an extra egg. Roy and Silo look over the egg. They both cared for it just like any good parents. The egg hatched and a baby penguin named Tango joined the family.

Theoretical Support and Redeeming Values

This demonstrates values of acceptance. Children can understand that a family is where love and care are given. It teaches tolerance of different types of relationships. It helps readers understand that there are nontraditional families and for them to not be judgmental of others.

How the Work Ties into the Curriculum and Standards

5.7 Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/ Literary Nonfiction. Students understand, make inferences, and draw conclusions about the varied structural patterns and features of literary nonfiction and provide evidence from text.

Literary Qualities and Summary of Reviews

Review in Publishers Weekly, “Richardson and Parnell, making their children's book debut, ease into the theme from the start, mentioning that "families of all kinds" visit the zoo. This tender story can also serve as a gentle jumping-off point for discussions about same-sex partnerships in human society.”

Review in Kirkus Review, “Unlike Harvey Fierstein’s groundbreaking The Sissy Duckling (2002), also illustrated by Cole, this doesn’t carry its agenda on its shoulder; readers may find its theme of acceptance even more convincing for being delivered in such a matter of fact, non-preachy way.

Sensitive Subjects in the Text/Possible Objections

Book is debated not to be age appropriate while covering topics that are not suited for children such as homosexuality.

How Sensitive Subjects and Possible Objections Will Be Handled in Class

Only students with a permission form signed by a guardian will partake in the reading. Parents will be notified of the permission slip and a summary of the book through the reminder app. For those students not able to participate they will be sent to the library to read an alternative book.

Teaching Objectives

After reading And Tango Makes Three students will be able to infer the meaning of the story through creating a t-chart comparing Tango’s family to theirs, creating a family illustration, class discussion, and journal writing prompt.

Teaching Methods

Teacher centered and Student Centered

Assignments

·      Read with me track with me: The class will read out loud the story.

·      Students will create a t-chart comparing the family described in the story and their own.

·      Students will then create an illustration of their family.

·      Students will present their illustration to class.

·      Class will have a discussion on what constitutes a family.

·      As an exit ticket student will reflect on the reading and state what was the lesson learned from the story.

Alternative Texts to This One

Accept and Value Each Person by Cheri J. Meiners

Meiners, C. J., & Johnson, M. (2006). Accept and value each person. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit.

Grade Level and Audience

High School

Plot Summary

Clay Jensen receives several tapes containing the thirteen reasons Hannah Baker committed suicide two weeks ago. Along with the tapes comes a note with instructions left by Hannah. As Clay listens to the tapes and visits the places that Hannah depicts on the map he discovers the reasons and the people that led to Hannah’s suicide. From spreading rumors, physical, and emotional abuse Hannah describes the events leading to her death and the consequences if the tapes are not passed down.

Theoretical Support and Redeeming Values

This novel covers topics such as bullying, mental health, abuse, friendship, and abuse.

How the Work Ties into the Curriculum and Standards

E1.5 Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Fiction. Students understand, make inferences, and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of fiction and provide evidence from text to support their understanding.

Literary Qualities and Summary of Reviews

Review in Kirkus Review, “Asher has created an entrancing character study and a riveting look into the psyche of someone who would make this unfortunate choice. A brilliant and mesmerizing debut from a gifted new author.”

Review in Publishers Weekly, “Asher knows how to entertain an audience; this book will leave readers eager to see what he does next.”

Sensitive Subjects in the Text/Possible Objections

Book is debated to glorify and romanticize suicide. Many say that it opens a path for other to do a copycat of the story. Others say that it portrays professionals in a negative perspective. As well as does not give an accurate portrayal of individuals that have a mental illness.   

How Sensitive Subjects and Possible Objections Will Be Handled in Class

Only students with a permission form signed by a guardian will partake in the reading. Parents will be notified of the permission slip and a summary of the book through the reminder app. For those students not able to participate they will be sent to the library to read an alternative book.

Teaching Objectives

After reading Thirteen Reasons Why students will be able to understand and make inferences on readings. Students will have a class discussions on situations they might relate to the story. This will lead to writing a paper on bullying and referring to the reading. Students will present paper to class.

Teaching Methods

Teacher centered and Student Centered

Assignments

·      The book will be read in class with students taking turns reading out loud.

·      After each chapter students will have a discussion on how high school students might relate to the characters.

·      Students will fill out a graphic organizer to describe the events that led to Hannah’s death.

·      After reading students must write a four-page paper including a reference page.

·      Students will be paired up and will have to create a podcast talking about tough situations that students might encounter and what should be done to address the issue.

Alternative Texts to This One

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Nevin 

Nen, J. (2015). All the bright places. New York: Knopf Books for Young Readers.

References

Bosker, B., Reichl, R., Becker, A., Schappell, E., Sokol, J., Symonds, A., . . . Mcdonell, T. (2017, November 02). Book Review. Retrieved November 02, 2017, from https://www.nytimes.com/section/books/review

Diaz, S., Staino, R., Diaz, S., Hill, S., Dar, M., Parrott, K., Diaz, S., Grabarek, D., Sutton, R. and Karen Jensen, T. (2017). School Library Journal | The world's largest reviewer of books, multimedia, and technology for children and teens. [online] Slj.com. Available at: http://www.slj.com/#_ [Accessed 3 Nov. 2017].

Goodreads. (2017). Goodreads. [online] Available at: http://goodreads.com [Accessed 1 Nov. 2017].

Kirkus Reviews. (2017). Book Reviews, Sites, Romance, Fantasy, Fiction | Kirkus Reviews. [online] Available at: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/ [Accessed 1 Nov. 2017].

NPR.org. (2017). Book Reviews. [online] Available at: https://www.npr.org/sections/book-reviews/ [Accessed 3 Nov. 2017].